Carrier and dump for peanut-diggers.



W. G. GREEN & H. HESTAND.

CARRIER AND DUMP FOR PEANUT DIGGERS.

APPLIGATION FILED AU(1.4,1913.

1,1 1 0,990 Patented Sept. 15, 1914 2 SHBETSSHEET 1.

W. G. GREEN & H. HESTAND. CARRIER AND DUMP EOE PEANUT DIGGERS.

APPLICATION TILED AUG. 4, 1913.

Patented Sept. 15, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

] numdoz W@.Green l/ui/hlleooeo H. Hescomd atfoznmgb To all whom it may concern:

, WILL o. GREEN, or coraancna, am) anna HESTAND, or'cmcxasna,

omanotaa. I

CARRIER AND DUMP FOR PEANUT-DIGGERS.

Be it known that we, WILLIAM C. GREEN, of Comanche, in the county of Stephens, State of Oklahoma, and HARDY HESTAND, of Chickasha, in the county of Grady and State of Oklahoma, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Carriers and Dumps for Peanut-Diggers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to im rovements in peanut diggers and more particularly to the carrier and dump therefor.

One object of the invention is to provide a carrier and dump for peanut diggers having digging mechanism, means for separating the dirt from the peanuts and vines after being lifted by the digging mechanism, means for conveying the vines and nuts rearwardly and an improved carrier from which they may be dumped or discharged at the will of the operator.

Another object is to provide a machine of this character which will be simple, stron durable and inexpensive in construction, e cicnt and reliable in operation and well adapted to the purpose for which it is designed.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, and the combination and arrangement of parts as will be more fully descr'i ed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Flgure 1 is a side view of our improved peanut d gger; Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is a central vertical longitudinal section of the digger illustrating in dotted llnes the manner in which the digging and conveying mechanism are raised and lowered; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the digging mechanism and its supporting frame; Fig. 5 1s a similar view of the dumping carrier.

Referring more. particularly to the drawings 1 denotes the axle and 2 denotes the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 4, 191a. Serial Ito. 782,990.

Patented Sept. 15, Milli Ll.

supporting wheels of our improved peanut digger, said wheels being fixedly mounted on the axle which is revolubly mounted in the sides of a conveyer and elevator frame 3 in the opposite ends of which are revolubly mounted conveyer supporting and operating shafts 4 and 5. The conveyer frame 3 is preferably provided with a coarse screen bottom 3 as shown. On the shafts 4 and 5 are mounted sprocket gears 6 with which are engaged the chains 7 of an endless conveyer 8 by means of which the vines together with the nuts thereon are carried upwardly after being dug by the digging mechanism hereinafter described. lFlxed on the axle 1 adjacent to one sitle of the conveyer frame 3 is a spur gear 9 with which is engaged a similar gear 10 mounted on the adjacent end of the upper conveyer shaft 4. By providing the gears 9 and 10 the movement of the axle 1 will be imparted to the conveyer for operat ing the same in the roper direction.

The digging incclianism herein referred to comprises a frame consisting of a pair of side bars 11 the rcarends of which curve downwardly and are bolted or otherwise rigidly sccurcd to castings 12 mounted on the axle 1 adjacent to the outer sides of the conveyer frame. The forward ends of the bars 11 are bent inwardly and are adapted to be bolted to a draft tongue 13 to which the draft animals are hitched. Secured to the outer sides of the bars 11 are standard guides 14 with which are slidably engaged vertical plow or shovel supporting standards 15 the upper ends of'which are connected by a cross bar 16 and the lower ends of which are connected by a cross bar 17 to which is secured a plow or shovel blade 18 which is preferably of substantially triangular shape or tapers toward its forward end as shown. To the lower cross bar 17 and rear edge of the plow blade are secured a series of rearwardly projecting separating fingers 19 which receive the vines and nuts I as they are lifted from the ground and which separate the dirt therefrom. The vines and nuts after being separated from the dirt by the fingers 19 from the rear ends thereof and drop onto the lower end of the conveyer 8 by'which they are carried upwardly and rearwardly to a carrier 20 hereinafter described.

The digging mechanism is raised and lowered and supported at the desired elevation by a raising and lowering lever 21 which is fixed on a rock shaft mounted in the side bars 11 and having fixed thereon a crank arm 22 the outer end of which is loosely connected to the upper cross bar 16 of the shovel or plow carrying standards 15. The lever 21 is provided with a pawl 23 which is adapted to engage the teeth of a segmental rack 24; whereby when the lever 21 is actuated to raise or lower the plow standards 15 and theplow 18. the lever may be locked to hold these parts in their adjusted positions.

The conveying and lifting mechanism is also provided with a raising and lowering lever 25 which is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends to one of the bars 11 and is connected at its lower endby a link 26 with the conveying and elevating frame. 3 wherebythe lower end of the latter may be swung upwardly. The lever 25 is provided with a pawl 27 which is adapted to engage the teeth of a segmental rack 28 whereby the lever is locked to hold the conveyer in its adjusted position. The plow raising and lowering lever 21 and the conveyer raising and lowering lever 25 are disposed within convenient reach of the driver from his seat 29 as shown.

The carrier 20 hereinbefore referred to comprises a series of rearwardly projecting parallel fingers 30 which are spaced suitable distances apart and are connected at their forward ends to a cross bar 31 revolubly mounted in bearing apertures in the ends of carrier supporting arms 32 which are engaged with the axle of the machine and are secured to the frame thereof in any suitable manner, said arms preferably having on their inner ends upwardly projecting extensions 33 which are bolted or otherwise secured to the frame. One end of the cross bar 31 of the carrier is turned upwardly to form a finger 34 to which is connected one end of a coiled carrier retracting spring 35 the other end of which is attached to the frame of the machine in any suitablemanner. The opposite end of the cross bar 31 has formed t ereon an upwardly and forwardly projecting holding arm 36 on the upper end of which is formed a beveled catch lug 37 with which is adapted to be engaged a carrier holding are discharged and releasing mechanism herinafter described.

The carrier holding and releasing mechanism comprises a bell crank catch lever 38 which is pivotally secured to one side of the frame of the machine and has the end,

of one arm thereof beveled and provided with a notch 39 which is adapted to receive the catch lug 37 on the end of the holding arm 36. The opposite arm of thebell. crank lever 38 is connected by a link 1O to a releasing lever 11 which is pivoted to the frame of the machine in position to be engaged by the foot of the operator and which when depressed will rock the bell crank lever 38 in the proper direction for disengaging the notch 39 thereof from the beveled lug 37 on the holding arm 36 of the carrier thereby releasing the latter and permitting the same to dump under the weight of the load accumulated thereon. After the load has been thus dumped from the carrier the spring 35 will immediately retract or swing the same upwardly to an operative position for receiving the next load of vines and nuts deposited thereon by the conveyer of the machine. The foot lever 41 is provided with a retracting spring 42 which, when pressure is removed from the lever, retracts the latter through the link 40 and swings the bell crank lever '38 backinto position to receive the ln 3.7 on the arm 36 of the carrier when the fatter is swung upwardly by its retracting spring 35,

said lug 37 springing into engagement with the notch 39 in the arm of the bell crank lever as will be readily understood.

From the foregoing descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily undertsood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction maybe resorted to without departing from the prmciple or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as claimed. I

Havmg thus described our invention, what we claim is:

In a machine of the class described, the

combination of a frame, supporting wheels therefor, horizontal arms projecting rear wardly from the frame and havin bearings, a cross bar mounted to rock in said bearings and having its intermediate portionproi ided with a series of spaced rearwardly projecting supporting fingers, one end of said cross bar being bent upwardly at right an Ice and the other end bent upwardly an forwardly into a curved arm having a beveled lug on its upper extremity, a coiled spring between said right-angular notched arm of 7 position.

arrn and the frame to elevate saidsupporting fingers, a. bell crank catch lever pivoted at its angle on the frame and having a rearwardly projecting arm notched toengage the beveled lug on said curved arm, a downwardly and rearwardly extending foot lever having its front end pivoted to the frame, a link connecting the intermediate portion of the foot lever with the other foot lever and the frame to maintain the the bell crank inoperative mmeee arm of the t bell crank anda coiled spring between the whereof we have hereunto the presence of subscribing 15 In testimonyset our hands 1n wltnesses. 

